1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for gathering and evaluating qualitative inputs or feedback, including perceptions and opinions, from employees and customers.
2. Discussion of the Background
Leaders and managers use both quantitative and qualitative information to run their organization. Qualitative information from employees and customers is both difficult to gather and difficult to evaluate. However, qualitative information is often the most relevant input or feedback that a leader or manager needs.
Methods for gathering qualitative information from employees and customers range from very ad hoc (e.g. discussion over a cup of coffee, suggestion boxes, chat rooms, etc.) to standardized surveys. The ad hoc methods lack the consistency that is needed to make them reliable and repeatable. Each input must be evaluated separately—with no standards for comparison and no way to quantify the results. The value of most information gathered in an ad hoc method is dependent on the skills of the leader or manager who happens to be listening or reading the input. Ad hoc methods often provide inputs from a very small, vocal group of employees or customers. When this occurs leaders and managers cannot determine if the perceptions and opinions reflect the views of a majority or just a few individuals. The ad hoc methods lack the efficiency that is essential to making them a consistently valuable source of critical, qualitative information.
More standardized methods, such as surveys, provide the much-needed consistency, but they are not efficient enough to make them a continuous source of qualitative information that is needed by leaders and managers. For example, surveys take considerable time to develop, distribute, collect, and analyze. Once the analysis is complete the results must be conveyed to the appropriate managers for action. All of this takes both effort (labor hours and funding) and time (actual calendar days) that is not available. Time delays from the start of survey development until the appropriate manager has results significantly reduce the value of the information because it is too late. That is, when done right, a survey takes months and the information is quite often no longer important to the leaders and managers, or the information is too late to help. In addition, standard surveys cannot be used to identify trends in perceptions or opinions unless the same questions, or cleverly worded questions that are similar, are asked on repetitive surveys. The repetition makes employees and customers lose interest and surveys of this type are most likely left unanswered.
What is not available is a method and system that allows leaders and managers to rapidly identify and gather qualitative information from employees and customers on topics and issues that are important to them at the time the information is gathered. Existing methods and systems do not allow leaders and manager to identify trends in employee and customer perception in an effective and efficient manner. The advent of computers and the Internet has provided some efficiency in the distribution, collection and analysis of standardized surveys. However, these technologies have not overcome the major impediments that make standard surveys ineffective for gathering and evaluating continuous, consistent and cost effective inputs from employees and customers. Below is a list of the major steps in the development and use of standard surveys:
StepStandard Survey ProcessComputer and Internet Impact1Determine that perceptions and opinions ofNoneemployees and/or customers must be collected2Determine what specific perceptions andNoneopinions are needed3Determine who should provide perceptionsNoneand opinions4Develop and approve a process or obtainingNoneperceptions and opinions5Develop a format for an instrument forNoneobtaining perceptions and opinions6Develop query statements or questions forNoneobtaining perceptions and opinions7Distribute the instrument for obtainingInternet impact is potentiallyperceptions and opinionssignificant8Collect and load data from each respondentSignificant impact of computers onelectronic or machine readableresponses; Internet impact oncollection is potentially significant9Analyze dataComputer impact is significant onstatistical computations; computerimpact on interpreting results isminimal unless the formats forpresentation are consistent10Develop and distribute reportsComputer impact on standardreports is significant
Out of the ten steps listed above, the use of computers and the Internet has helped only in the collection and loading of the data (in the cases where the inputs are in electronic form or machine readable form), the analysis of the data, and the development and distribution of standard reports. The use of computers and the Internet has not helped in the majority of the steps listed above.
What is needed is a way to overcome the time consuming process of identifying the information needed, translating the identified information into an instrument for gathering the information, selecting the people who are to provide the information, compiling or modifying distribution lists to reflect the selection of respondents, analyzing (evaluating) the information and distributing the information to all the people who need it within an organization.
Specifically, what is needed is an effective and efficient method and system that:
Allows leaders and managers in an organization to obtain inputs from employees and customers on specific topics (products, activities or tasks, projects, programs, policies, benefits, etc.) in their organization at any time and with any frequency they desire;
Allows leaders and managers in an organization to obtain input from employees and customers on general issues (morale, adequacy of communications, customer satisfaction, level of team work, etc.);
Allows leaders and managers to identify trends with respect to employee and customer perceptions and opinions on both specific topics and issues;
Allows leaders and managers to identify when employees and customers perceive certain issues (e.g. inadequate communication) as very important with respect to specific topics (e.g. health benefits);
Allows leaders and managers to identify which groups of respondents are providing both positive and negative perceptions and opinions on specific topics and issues;
Allows all managers and leaders in an organization to rapidly evaluate inputs to help them gain a common view of the perceptions and opinions of employees and customers—thereby enhancing their ability to operate as a cohesive leadership team;
Provides leaders and managers at every level in the organization with critical, qualitative information they need to correct problems and make the organization more effective and efficient without having to wait for information and direction to flow down from a higher level leader or manager;
Allows employees and customers to pick the topics that are most important to them when they provide periodic input—thereby not subjecting them to many questions on lengthy surveys that are not relevant to them;
Ensures leaders and managers that the methods and techniques used to gather employee and customer input is consistent and reliable—without the normal time and effort needed to develop this confidence on individual survey instruments.